Dangers and dilemmas for social workers

The report into the torture and murder of child abuse victim Victoria Climbie is going to be a devastating affair.

Lord Laming, who has headed the inquiry into the eight-year-old's brutal death at the hands of her great-aunt, Marie-Therese Kouao, and her great-aunt's lover, Carl Manning, is likely to be damning of the social workers, police and doctors involved. He will try to make some sense of why Victoria was abandoned by these people, and left to die.

In order to understand better some of the dilemmas facing professionals involved in child protection, Richard Watson has had unprecedented access to Camden social services in London the neighbouring borough to Haringey, which so clearly failed Victoria.

TIM ALDRIDGE
(Senior Social Worker):
She's got bruises all over her back, and apparently she's got bruises between her shoulder blades and her lower back and on her hip, as well.

SALLY JOSEPH
(Duty Manager):
We can't win. You know, we're damned if we do, we're damned if we don't. It's trying to find a balance.

RICHARD WATSON:
10.30 Friday morning. Camden social workers discuss ongoing cases.

JOSEPH:
We don't know. I think that's what we need to properly investigate.

WATSON:
The routine meeting is interrupted by an emergency child protection referral. The team has received a report suggesting a local child is in danger.

ALDRIDGE:
It's Tim Aldridge here calling from Camden Social Services. I've been told you have a child protection referral. Did you say bruising up the back, as well? There's a big bruise at the bottom of her spine.

JOSEPH:
Has somebody seen the bruise?

ALDRIDGE:
Yeah, the nursery assistant. A large dark mark on her right hip and a large bruise in between her shoulder blades. She's not said anything to the staff.

JOSEPH:
How old is she?

ALDRIDGE:
She's coming up to five.

WATSON:
Sally Joseph wants the staff at the child's nursery school to try to find out more before the parents arrive. The next step is to organise a medical.

JOSEPH:
We need to inform the police child protection team after we receive a child protection referral and what our plans are. We also need to alert the medical team at the health centre that we require a medical, because it takes time to organise a medical. Because of the description of the injuries we have, we want the medical to take place today.

WATSON:
Tim also needs to establish contact with the child's mother. The child is not on the Child Protection Register, and he needs parental consent for the medical. As Tim deals with his case, another emergency referral comes in. This time a separate nursery school has reported concerns about a four-year-old girl who has been absent for weeks.

JOSEPH:
The mother has mental health problems. She's also in a violent relationship. What the nursery contact said is they're concerned. They haven't seen the child since the 19th December. We phoned the mother this morning and she's told us the child is with her father, but she's refusing to give us details of the address or any contact numbers.

WATSON:
Social worker Jacqui Chivake knows the family, and she's worried about previous incidents of domestic violence.

JACQUI CHIVAKE
(Duty Social Worker):
I'm trying to find out details and get that checked out. I'm going to get the police to do a check on one address.

WATSON:
Jacqui has made contact with the mother of the missing girl, but she's refusing to let Jacqui see her daughter or give the father's address. Jacqui refers the case to her manager, Sally. This is good practice. The failure to achieve this kind of management in the neighbouring Borough of Haringey where junior social workers often handle the most difficult cases will be criticised by Lord Laming tomorrow when he publishes his report into the death of Victoria Climbie.

JOSEPH:
We're not getting any response at all. You are a victim of domestic violence. Can you try to find him in the next hour because I'm concerned. I need to speak to the police child protection team.

WATSON:
That sounded like an intense conversation.

JOSEPH:
She was saying there are children dying all over the place, and why don't you go and actually look after them, protect them. Why my child? Why are you targeting my child? She's not linking the domestic violence that she's experienced with her partner with the protection of her children.

WATSON:
Meanwhile, progress is being made on the case of the little girl with bad bruise marks on her back. The family have agreed to come in for a medical and social services' worst fears are allayed.

ALDRIDGE:
The children were examined by the paediatrician. There was no evidence of any recent injury. The marks on the child's back are what's called Mongolian blue spots, which is basically a pigmentation difference anyway, so

WATSON:
Nothing to worry about?

ALDRIDGE:
Nothing to worry about. We've explained to the parents why we needed to investigate, and they understand. The paediatrician explained that those marks are easily misidentified as bruises. We've apologised to the parents for any distress and inconvenience, and they've left now. We won't be taking any further action on the case.

WATSON:
So a good result in this case anyway?

ALDRIDGE:
Yes, very good.

WATSON:
Sally's also got two of her team out in Camden on a home visit, dealing with a case of serious domestic violence. Gaby and Sandra have come to visit Jane. Her husband attacked her, putting her in hospital with two broken ribs and a fractured cheekbone. He's in custody, but the social workers are concerned about the risk to her and her children.

JANE:
He flew at me, pinned me to the chair, knelt on me and started strangling me. I managed to get him off. I went into my son's bedroom. He followed me. It was a frenzied attack. It was a constant barrage of fists into my head and my face.

WATSON:
Over the years, Jane says she's often been beaten. Now she's going to press charges and wants a divorce.

JANE:
He's never hurt the children. He spoils the children.

SANDRA WEBB
(Family Support Worker):
What kind of relationship have the children got with dad?

JANE:
My oldest son, he's becoming quite aggressive. He was caught with drugs in school, done for burglary last year. He's basically been screaming out for attention.

WEBB:
Has he been getting any support at all?

JANE:
He won't take it. He won't talk to social workers or the police, and he's aggressive and abusive toward the teachers.

WATSON:
Before they leave, Gaby and Sandra make plans to see all the children and draw up a long-term support plan for them and their mother. What impact does that have on the children?

WEBB:
She is already saying her children are in trouble. They are fighting. They are mirroring what is happening in the home.

WATSON:
Back at the office more progress with the case of the missing girl. Her mum has turned up but is still refusing to reveal the address where her daughter is staying with her dad. What were your feelings when you got the call today?

HELEN:
I was very angry.

WATSON:
Why do you think they are so worried?

HELEN:
In the past I have had a violent partner but my boyfriend is not like that any more.

WATSON:
It is serious when he is not going to agree to bring your daughter in?

HELEN:
He doesn't like social services full stop. He said if they want to challenge him then he is willing to go to court

WATSON:
He is going to have to go to court?

HELEN:
He says at the end of the day he is the children's legal father.

WATSON:
After the visit, Jacqui and Sally are hopeful they will see the little girl next week. We spoke to her downstairs and one theme was how can I trust social service, they get me into the Sure Start programme. That lack of trust must be a big problem.

JOSEPH:
We are saying you come to us, we can provide you with support but they know if anything happens to their child we have this different role and we have the powers to go to court and remove their children. They can't tell us anything in confidence. Whatever they tell us we have to record it and take actions. We don't know what we can do to make families trust us.

WATSON:
After the weekend, Jacqui attempts to find the missing girl at her mum's house.

WATSON:
What do you do now?

CHIVAKE:
I need to go back to the office and see if she does turn up this afternoon. We have a number to contact the father who she is saying she has taken him to, try and see if he will talk to us. We haven't had any response in the past and we understand he is quite anti-social services. We just really need to find out, just because someone moves to another area doesn't mean we just stop. We need to pass that on to another area and the child needs to be seen.

WATSON:
A few hours later she comes back for a second attempt. This time she is in luck. To Jacqui's relief her daughter is also at home and she seems well.

CHIVAKE:
I have to make sure children are happy.

WATSON:
Jacqui is beginning the process of establishing whether the little girl is being looked after properly by her father.

CHIVAKE:
Will you miss mummy?

UNNAMED GIRL:
Yes. I am coming back.

CHIVAKE:
Is there anything that upsets you how daddy is with mummy?

UNNAMED GIRL:
No.

CHIVAKE:
Is daddy nice to mummy? If we were to contact him today or turn up on his doorstep, would you fear for anything?

HELEN:
He wouldn't touch his daughter.

CHIVAKE:
What about how he might discipline her? I know before you have said he smacks.

HELEN:
I smack them, that is how I discipline my kids. I have always smacked my children and it hasn't done them any harm.

CHIVAKE:
Where does she get smacked?

HELEN:
Back of the legs. You can say what you like but she is staying there. Put it down on paper, I have told you the racism we have had down here, chucking things at my daughter, do you think I am going to let my daughter put up with that?

WATSON:
Did you manage to persuade her to give the father's contact details.

CHIVAKE:
She won't give the address. I have told her we will support all the practical things that's upsetting her. The house she is living in, all her debts but I need to come back with another worker to talk about the issue that we need to know the father's details and meet with him.

WATSON:
Since we filmed Helen has taken her daughter back. Social services have called a conference, to decide whether the little girl needs to be placed on the Child Protection Register.

JOSEPH:
We want to help families and make things better for them but that is not how the public and the families view us.

WATSON:
Camden understands that public hostility is no excuse for inaction. Tomorrow's report of the Victoria Climbie case will be deeply critical of poor co-operation between child protection services and departments that let grass grow under their feet.

JANE HELD
(Director, Camden Social Services):
We will need to think carefully about looking at where the system does work. What we can use from knowing what works to stop the complete system collapse that happened in Haringey from happening elsewhere.

This transcript was produced from the teletext subtitles that are generated live for Newsnight. It has been checked against the programme as broadcast, however Newsnight can accept no responsibility for any factual inaccuracies. We will be happy to correct serious errors.